Chapter XI
"Gamma," I heard faintly. I paid it no attention, thinking it was just in my mind.
"Gamma?" the voice repeated, this time a bit louder. I could hear movement in the room.
"Gamma, where are you?" the voice called, this time much closer. "There you are," I heard behind me, jolting me awake. I quickly lifted my head, banging it hard upon Jenny's bed, which served to fully awaken me with a surge of pain. I brought my head back down and covered it with my paws, whimpering and trying desperately to ease the pain. I felt a pair of hands grab me around the middle and pull me out from underneath the bed.
"Gamma, are you alright?" Jenny asked. I didn't respond, still trying to stop the throbbing pain in my head. She rushed me out of the room, taking me into the dining room and setting me upon the table, where she left me to leave the room. I heard footsteps and realized she'd gone to get Nurse Joy.
"What happened?" Joy asked.
"He hit his head on my bed when I woke him up," Jenny explained.
Joy pulled my paws off my head to examine the injury, which caused even more pain as she touched the sensitive location. She then gently took hold of my muzzle and turned it so that she could look into my eyes, releasing it afterward.
"Gamma, can you tell me what happened?" she asked.
"I heard Jenny's voice and I woke up and hit my head on the bottom of her bed," I answered groggily.
"Alright, can you stand up for me please?" I slowly pulled my paws beneath my body and lifted myself up onto them. I stood for a moment before she gently coaxed me into a sitting posture before continuing. She left the room for a moment, returning with a small coin. She held it in front of me.
"Gamma, I want you to try to focus on the coin, okay?" She moved the coin slowly, and I followed it with my eyes as she gazed into them. She seemed satisfied, placing the coin within her pocket.
"Well, I don't think you have a concussion, but you should still lie down for a bit," Joy informed me. She gently lifted me from the table and carried me into the living room, where she set me upon the couch. The pain in my head was still unbearable. I curled up, bringing my forepaws to my head, hoping to dull the pain as I rubbed my head. I groaned, continuing to massage my skull, and tightly closed my eyes. I heard her walk away, then return after a short time..
"Gamma, can you please move your paws?" she requested. I complied slowly, not wanting to cause any additional pain. I felt a sudden chill as she placed a small pack filled with ice on top of my head which caused me to shiver lightly. The sensation caused the pain to slowly numb.
"I don't think you should be sleeping underneath her bed if this is going to happen again," she instructed. I nodded sleepily to let her know I understood. Still tired from being waken prematurely, I fell back to sleep.
A few hours passed before I reawakened. I opened my eyes and looked around me, noticing Jenny sitting on the couch next to me with Alex lying in her lap. I felt the couch shift suddenly and turned to see that Mark had jumped up next to me.
"Hey," he greeted me. "How's your head?"
"It's fine," I answered. It was partially true. My head was still pretty sore, but the pack on my head eased it considerably. I brought a paw to the top of my head, feeling that the pack's contents had melted. I pulled it down from its perch and set it in front of me. I rubbed the area gently, hoping to ease the soreness. I felt a hand begin to aid me and turned to see Jenny had noticed I'd awakened.
"How'd you sleep?" she said softly, continuing to rub my head. I smiled at her, which seemed good enough an answer for her.
I turned my attention to the fireplace, noticing that the bundle that once held Sarah was no longer there. I looked around the room, finally seeing her sitting next to her parents by the window Joshua had been staring out the previous day. He had once again taken to looking through it, apparently watching something. The sound of footsteps off to my left distracted me from him. I looked to see Tom standing next to the couch.
"Why are there more Pokemon here, Jenny?" I barely heard him say. His tone didn't set well with me. "Wasn't he enough?"
"They're not living here, they just need a place to stay while she recovers," Jenny answered, pointing towards Sarah. He glanced at the young fox before returning his focus to his sister.
"She looks fine to me."
"Are you trying to get me to throw them out?" she said, clearly outraged.
"You said they weren't staying here, and she's obviously recovered from whatever it is she had."
Once again, my trust and liking for him waned. He didn't seem to like Pokemon very much, and didn't seem happy with just my presence. I continued to stare at him, watching him warily. He looked up at me for a moment, a murderous look in his eyes. He stood and returned to his room. I ignored my better judgment and stood up, hopping down from my perch. I slowly followed him down the hall, careful not to make a sound. He walked into his room, and I slipped in behind him before he closed the door.
His room was a complete contrast to everything else in the house. As opposed to the light coloring in the other rooms, his walls were black. A lone window on the far side of it cast an eerie glow within. A desk stood next to the window, which held a machine I'd never seen before. Its purpose was unclear, but it made a low buzzing sound. I watched him sit down in the chair in front of the desk. He pressed a button on another machine that sat atop the desk. This one looked like a smaller version of the television in the living room, except it was white. It displayed a still image on the screen, much unlike the television. It displayed a picture of a pokeball, and it looked like it had a red circle around it. There was a bit of text beneath it, but I couldn't read it. I decided to move to better see this device. I walked along the wall as stealthily as I could. It was hard to navigate without a real source of light. I felt something under my paw as I set it down and stopped immediately. It made a loud crunching sound, which I was sure Tom had noticed. His head swiveled to see what made the noise, his eyes coming to rest on me. He stood up and walked over to me, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck. He held me up to his face.
"Look, I don't like you, and I'm sure you feel the same about me. The only reason I put up with you is because of Jenny. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't even be alive, much less in this house, and you're damn lucky she cares about you." He spoke in a quiet, but threatening manner. "But despite her feelings for you, I won't hesitate to deal with you in force if I find you in here again. Understand?" I slowly nodded. He opened the door and dropped me back to the floor. I barely managed to get my paws beneath me before hitting the carpet. "Now, get out, and don't let me catch you in here again." I turned towards the hallway outside the door, feeling a sharp pain on my backside as I was flung lightly through the door. The door shut quickly behind me as I stood up and walked back to the living room. As I returned to the living room, Jenny looked down at me.
"I hope you didn't go in there," she said. "He's not one to enjoy visitors. He doesn't even let me in that room." I wished she had told me that sooner. I walked past her and over to where Sarah was sitting.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" I asked her. She looked up, and I could see in her face that she was still sick.
"Better," she answered hoarsely. She coughed after she spoke. "My throat's kinda sore today though."
I heard some footsteps behind me and turned around, finding Nurse Joy standing before me. She knelt down and picked me up and held me in her arms. She ran a hand along the top of my head.
"How's your head?" she asked.
"Fine," I replied. "Thank you."
"You know what today is, right?"
"Yeah."
"You still want to practice?"
"Yeah," I repeated. She carried me to the guest bedroom. While I often practiced speaking Human on my own, I would visit Nurse Joy every Wednesday and she would help me learn. She set me down upon the bed and sat next to me. She picked up a book that was on the nightstand next to the bed and laid it before me. Not only was she teaching me to speak, but to read as well. She was having me read the book aloud to her, which served both purposes. It was a fairly interesting story. It was about a human that had been turned into a Pokemon. Of course, such a thing seemed ridiculous, but it was just a book. I read for about an hour, talking myself hoarse, before she stopped me.
"Need something to drink?" she asked me after hearing my voice. I nodded to her. She stood up and left the room. She returned a moment later with a small bowl filled with water, which she set in front of me after picking up the book.
"Thank you," I said, then began to lap up the cool liquid. It helped with the mild soreness in my throat. We continued after I emptied the bowl, going on for a while longer. We stopped when there was a knock on the bedroom's door. Nurse Joy stood up to answer it, and Jenny entered the room.
"What's going on in here?" she asked. Nurse Joy turned to face me, asking me with her expression if we should tell Jenny about my studies. I shook my head, not feeling ready to reveal it to her.
"Nothing, we're just talking," Joy said to Jenny.
"Oh, okay," Jenny replied skeptically, sounding rather unconvinced. "Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."
She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Joy returned to the bed and sat down once again.
"We have to tell her sometime, Gamma," she said.
"I know, I just don't think I'm ready yet," I replied.
"You've been doing very well today. I haven't had to correct your pronunciation once. I think you're about ready."
"I guess, but I just don't feel like I can do it."
"Just believe in yourself, you'll be fine. We better get ready for dinner and I need to check on Sarah."
The two of us left the room. I walked up to the couch and hopped upon it, thinking about what Nurse Joy told me. I watched her examine Sarah as I thought. The smell from whatever it was that Jenny was cooking was a very big distraction from my train of thought, and I let it overcome my mind. I followed the scent into the kitchen, seeing Jenny finish making the food. From the smell alone, I knew it was something I'd never eaten before. I watched her fill several bowls with what she'd cooked and laid three of them out on the table, placing six others on the floor for the Vulpix family and me.
"Dinner's ready!" she called. Everyone filed into the dining room except for Tom, who remained in his room, and Alex, who was napping on the chair in the living room. I approached one of the bowls Jenny laid out on the floor and peered inside. It was a yellowish liquid which had bits of meat and vegetables in it. It smelled incredible and I couldn't wait to try it, but I knew it would be rude to begin eating before our guests even got settled. Jenny walked out of the room and towards Tom's room to tell him dinner was ready. Mark walked up next to me and looked into the bowl in front of him.
"What is this?" he asked curiously, looking up at me.
"My guess would be food," I joked.
"No, really?" he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He turned back to the bowl in front of him and sniffed its contents before he began to eat. Before long, however, his mother smacked him on the back of his head. He snapped up immediately, rubbing the spot she'd hit.
"Where are your manners?" she scolded. "Wait for everyone to get here."
"Sorry, Mom," he answered in barely more than a whisper. Mary walked out into the living room again and woke Alex and escorted him to the dining room, which earned him a sour look from his little sister. He sleepily walked towards where the rest of us sat.
"Hey Alex, sleep okay?" I greeted him. He looked up at me, still having not waken completely, and nodded. I looked up and saw Jenny returning from Tom's room. She picked up one of the bowls on the table and carried it back to his room, coming back and sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.
"Can we eat now, Mom?" Mark asked impatiently. She simply rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I suppose."
Mark turned back to his bowl and began to scarf down the food Jenny had prepared. I watched as the rest of his family settled down to eat before beginning myself. It tasted even better than it smelled.
We ate in silence, though I noticed Sarah shooting several nasty looks at Alex, who was eating next to his mother, while she was next to her father on the opposite side. Mary seemed to insist on grooming her son while he ate, and I could see the irritation in his expression. I sighed, finishing off the contents of the bowl. I stepped back from it and sat down, watching the others eat. Mary's continued attempts at grooming Alex had caused him to back away from his food to get away from her. He walked past me as he returned to the chair where he previously resided. I turned and followed him, hopping onto the chair and lying next to him.
"Geez, you weren't kidding when you said she overdoes it," I remarked. He looked back at his family and sighed.
"I just wish she would leave me alone," he said.
"Maybe you should try asking her."
"What good would that do? She won't listen to me."
"Just go try it," I encouraged. He sighed and stood up, approaching his mother. I watched him say something to her, which she seemed to ignore. She began running a paw along his fur and he hopped away, retreating back to the chair.
"Like I said, she won't listen," he said, returning to my side. He laid down and closed his eyes. I had no idea why he was so tired, he'd been napping before dinner and now again afterwards. I dropped from the chair to let him sleep in peace. I saw Mark back away from the bowl he was eating from and he turned and approached me.
"What was that with Alex?" he asked. "You must have had something to do with that, he never says anything to Mom about her attention."
"All I told him was to ask her to leave him alone, since he hates the attention he gets from her," I answered honestly.
"How did you get him to stand up to her?"
"I just told him to try it."
"Really? I've been telling him that for weeks, but he never seemed to listen. Odd that he would trust you more than me..." He turned and walked away, muttering to himself.
I could feel myself getting tired from having a full stomach and noticed it had become quite dark outside. I retreated to Jenny's bedroom, jumping onto the bed instead of crawling beneath it, remembering that morning's events. I yawned, thinking about what Mark had said, how Alex trusted me more than his own brother, who he seemed to admire. The thought swirled around my head until I eventually fell asleep.
"Gamma?" the voice repeated, this time a bit louder. I could hear movement in the room.
"Gamma, where are you?" the voice called, this time much closer. "There you are," I heard behind me, jolting me awake. I quickly lifted my head, banging it hard upon Jenny's bed, which served to fully awaken me with a surge of pain. I brought my head back down and covered it with my paws, whimpering and trying desperately to ease the pain. I felt a pair of hands grab me around the middle and pull me out from underneath the bed.
"Gamma, are you alright?" Jenny asked. I didn't respond, still trying to stop the throbbing pain in my head. She rushed me out of the room, taking me into the dining room and setting me upon the table, where she left me to leave the room. I heard footsteps and realized she'd gone to get Nurse Joy.
"What happened?" Joy asked.
"He hit his head on my bed when I woke him up," Jenny explained.
Joy pulled my paws off my head to examine the injury, which caused even more pain as she touched the sensitive location. She then gently took hold of my muzzle and turned it so that she could look into my eyes, releasing it afterward.
"Gamma, can you tell me what happened?" she asked.
"I heard Jenny's voice and I woke up and hit my head on the bottom of her bed," I answered groggily.
"Alright, can you stand up for me please?" I slowly pulled my paws beneath my body and lifted myself up onto them. I stood for a moment before she gently coaxed me into a sitting posture before continuing. She left the room for a moment, returning with a small coin. She held it in front of me.
"Gamma, I want you to try to focus on the coin, okay?" She moved the coin slowly, and I followed it with my eyes as she gazed into them. She seemed satisfied, placing the coin within her pocket.
"Well, I don't think you have a concussion, but you should still lie down for a bit," Joy informed me. She gently lifted me from the table and carried me into the living room, where she set me upon the couch. The pain in my head was still unbearable. I curled up, bringing my forepaws to my head, hoping to dull the pain as I rubbed my head. I groaned, continuing to massage my skull, and tightly closed my eyes. I heard her walk away, then return after a short time..
"Gamma, can you please move your paws?" she requested. I complied slowly, not wanting to cause any additional pain. I felt a sudden chill as she placed a small pack filled with ice on top of my head which caused me to shiver lightly. The sensation caused the pain to slowly numb.
"I don't think you should be sleeping underneath her bed if this is going to happen again," she instructed. I nodded sleepily to let her know I understood. Still tired from being waken prematurely, I fell back to sleep.
A few hours passed before I reawakened. I opened my eyes and looked around me, noticing Jenny sitting on the couch next to me with Alex lying in her lap. I felt the couch shift suddenly and turned to see that Mark had jumped up next to me.
"Hey," he greeted me. "How's your head?"
"It's fine," I answered. It was partially true. My head was still pretty sore, but the pack on my head eased it considerably. I brought a paw to the top of my head, feeling that the pack's contents had melted. I pulled it down from its perch and set it in front of me. I rubbed the area gently, hoping to ease the soreness. I felt a hand begin to aid me and turned to see Jenny had noticed I'd awakened.
"How'd you sleep?" she said softly, continuing to rub my head. I smiled at her, which seemed good enough an answer for her.
I turned my attention to the fireplace, noticing that the bundle that once held Sarah was no longer there. I looked around the room, finally seeing her sitting next to her parents by the window Joshua had been staring out the previous day. He had once again taken to looking through it, apparently watching something. The sound of footsteps off to my left distracted me from him. I looked to see Tom standing next to the couch.
"Why are there more Pokemon here, Jenny?" I barely heard him say. His tone didn't set well with me. "Wasn't he enough?"
"They're not living here, they just need a place to stay while she recovers," Jenny answered, pointing towards Sarah. He glanced at the young fox before returning his focus to his sister.
"She looks fine to me."
"Are you trying to get me to throw them out?" she said, clearly outraged.
"You said they weren't staying here, and she's obviously recovered from whatever it is she had."
Once again, my trust and liking for him waned. He didn't seem to like Pokemon very much, and didn't seem happy with just my presence. I continued to stare at him, watching him warily. He looked up at me for a moment, a murderous look in his eyes. He stood and returned to his room. I ignored my better judgment and stood up, hopping down from my perch. I slowly followed him down the hall, careful not to make a sound. He walked into his room, and I slipped in behind him before he closed the door.
His room was a complete contrast to everything else in the house. As opposed to the light coloring in the other rooms, his walls were black. A lone window on the far side of it cast an eerie glow within. A desk stood next to the window, which held a machine I'd never seen before. Its purpose was unclear, but it made a low buzzing sound. I watched him sit down in the chair in front of the desk. He pressed a button on another machine that sat atop the desk. This one looked like a smaller version of the television in the living room, except it was white. It displayed a still image on the screen, much unlike the television. It displayed a picture of a pokeball, and it looked like it had a red circle around it. There was a bit of text beneath it, but I couldn't read it. I decided to move to better see this device. I walked along the wall as stealthily as I could. It was hard to navigate without a real source of light. I felt something under my paw as I set it down and stopped immediately. It made a loud crunching sound, which I was sure Tom had noticed. His head swiveled to see what made the noise, his eyes coming to rest on me. He stood up and walked over to me, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck. He held me up to his face.
"Look, I don't like you, and I'm sure you feel the same about me. The only reason I put up with you is because of Jenny. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't even be alive, much less in this house, and you're damn lucky she cares about you." He spoke in a quiet, but threatening manner. "But despite her feelings for you, I won't hesitate to deal with you in force if I find you in here again. Understand?" I slowly nodded. He opened the door and dropped me back to the floor. I barely managed to get my paws beneath me before hitting the carpet. "Now, get out, and don't let me catch you in here again." I turned towards the hallway outside the door, feeling a sharp pain on my backside as I was flung lightly through the door. The door shut quickly behind me as I stood up and walked back to the living room. As I returned to the living room, Jenny looked down at me.
"I hope you didn't go in there," she said. "He's not one to enjoy visitors. He doesn't even let me in that room." I wished she had told me that sooner. I walked past her and over to where Sarah was sitting.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" I asked her. She looked up, and I could see in her face that she was still sick.
"Better," she answered hoarsely. She coughed after she spoke. "My throat's kinda sore today though."
I heard some footsteps behind me and turned around, finding Nurse Joy standing before me. She knelt down and picked me up and held me in her arms. She ran a hand along the top of my head.
"How's your head?" she asked.
"Fine," I replied. "Thank you."
"You know what today is, right?"
"Yeah."
"You still want to practice?"
"Yeah," I repeated. She carried me to the guest bedroom. While I often practiced speaking Human on my own, I would visit Nurse Joy every Wednesday and she would help me learn. She set me down upon the bed and sat next to me. She picked up a book that was on the nightstand next to the bed and laid it before me. Not only was she teaching me to speak, but to read as well. She was having me read the book aloud to her, which served both purposes. It was a fairly interesting story. It was about a human that had been turned into a Pokemon. Of course, such a thing seemed ridiculous, but it was just a book. I read for about an hour, talking myself hoarse, before she stopped me.
"Need something to drink?" she asked me after hearing my voice. I nodded to her. She stood up and left the room. She returned a moment later with a small bowl filled with water, which she set in front of me after picking up the book.
"Thank you," I said, then began to lap up the cool liquid. It helped with the mild soreness in my throat. We continued after I emptied the bowl, going on for a while longer. We stopped when there was a knock on the bedroom's door. Nurse Joy stood up to answer it, and Jenny entered the room.
"What's going on in here?" she asked. Nurse Joy turned to face me, asking me with her expression if we should tell Jenny about my studies. I shook my head, not feeling ready to reveal it to her.
"Nothing, we're just talking," Joy said to Jenny.
"Oh, okay," Jenny replied skeptically, sounding rather unconvinced. "Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."
She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Joy returned to the bed and sat down once again.
"We have to tell her sometime, Gamma," she said.
"I know, I just don't think I'm ready yet," I replied.
"You've been doing very well today. I haven't had to correct your pronunciation once. I think you're about ready."
"I guess, but I just don't feel like I can do it."
"Just believe in yourself, you'll be fine. We better get ready for dinner and I need to check on Sarah."
The two of us left the room. I walked up to the couch and hopped upon it, thinking about what Nurse Joy told me. I watched her examine Sarah as I thought. The smell from whatever it was that Jenny was cooking was a very big distraction from my train of thought, and I let it overcome my mind. I followed the scent into the kitchen, seeing Jenny finish making the food. From the smell alone, I knew it was something I'd never eaten before. I watched her fill several bowls with what she'd cooked and laid three of them out on the table, placing six others on the floor for the Vulpix family and me.
"Dinner's ready!" she called. Everyone filed into the dining room except for Tom, who remained in his room, and Alex, who was napping on the chair in the living room. I approached one of the bowls Jenny laid out on the floor and peered inside. It was a yellowish liquid which had bits of meat and vegetables in it. It smelled incredible and I couldn't wait to try it, but I knew it would be rude to begin eating before our guests even got settled. Jenny walked out of the room and towards Tom's room to tell him dinner was ready. Mark walked up next to me and looked into the bowl in front of him.
"What is this?" he asked curiously, looking up at me.
"My guess would be food," I joked.
"No, really?" he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He turned back to the bowl in front of him and sniffed its contents before he began to eat. Before long, however, his mother smacked him on the back of his head. He snapped up immediately, rubbing the spot she'd hit.
"Where are your manners?" she scolded. "Wait for everyone to get here."
"Sorry, Mom," he answered in barely more than a whisper. Mary walked out into the living room again and woke Alex and escorted him to the dining room, which earned him a sour look from his little sister. He sleepily walked towards where the rest of us sat.
"Hey Alex, sleep okay?" I greeted him. He looked up at me, still having not waken completely, and nodded. I looked up and saw Jenny returning from Tom's room. She picked up one of the bowls on the table and carried it back to his room, coming back and sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.
"Can we eat now, Mom?" Mark asked impatiently. She simply rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I suppose."
Mark turned back to his bowl and began to scarf down the food Jenny had prepared. I watched as the rest of his family settled down to eat before beginning myself. It tasted even better than it smelled.
We ate in silence, though I noticed Sarah shooting several nasty looks at Alex, who was eating next to his mother, while she was next to her father on the opposite side. Mary seemed to insist on grooming her son while he ate, and I could see the irritation in his expression. I sighed, finishing off the contents of the bowl. I stepped back from it and sat down, watching the others eat. Mary's continued attempts at grooming Alex had caused him to back away from his food to get away from her. He walked past me as he returned to the chair where he previously resided. I turned and followed him, hopping onto the chair and lying next to him.
"Geez, you weren't kidding when you said she overdoes it," I remarked. He looked back at his family and sighed.
"I just wish she would leave me alone," he said.
"Maybe you should try asking her."
"What good would that do? She won't listen to me."
"Just go try it," I encouraged. He sighed and stood up, approaching his mother. I watched him say something to her, which she seemed to ignore. She began running a paw along his fur and he hopped away, retreating back to the chair.
"Like I said, she won't listen," he said, returning to my side. He laid down and closed his eyes. I had no idea why he was so tired, he'd been napping before dinner and now again afterwards. I dropped from the chair to let him sleep in peace. I saw Mark back away from the bowl he was eating from and he turned and approached me.
"What was that with Alex?" he asked. "You must have had something to do with that, he never says anything to Mom about her attention."
"All I told him was to ask her to leave him alone, since he hates the attention he gets from her," I answered honestly.
"How did you get him to stand up to her?"
"I just told him to try it."
"Really? I've been telling him that for weeks, but he never seemed to listen. Odd that he would trust you more than me..." He turned and walked away, muttering to himself.
I could feel myself getting tired from having a full stomach and noticed it had become quite dark outside. I retreated to Jenny's bedroom, jumping onto the bed instead of crawling beneath it, remembering that morning's events. I yawned, thinking about what Mark had said, how Alex trusted me more than his own brother, who he seemed to admire. The thought swirled around my head until I eventually fell asleep.